Santee

Santee is a suburb of San Diego in San Diego County, California, with a population of 53,413 at the 2010 census. Although it is a part of the East County region, Santee is located just 18mi from the Pacific Ocean. The city is connected to the coastline by State Route 52, a six-lane freeway that runs from Interstate 5 in La Jolla to State Route 67 in El Cajon. The city is bisected by the San Diego River, a linear greenbelt that includes parks, trails and more than 1,100acre of natural riparian habitat.HistoryThe region was the homeland of the Kumeyaay people. These original residents established the village of Sinyeweche on the banks of the San Diego River in the present day Santee area.The city is named after Milton Santee, the second husband of Jennie Blodgett, whose first husband was George A. Cowles, a pioneer rancher and businessperson in the San Diego County area.Community profileIn 2010, the city was populated by 19,272 households, of which 64 percent had incomes greater than $45,000 annually. In 2009, the median household income was $78,872 per year, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. In 2010, Santee had one of the lowest crime rates among cities in San Diego County. Unlike most of the county's coastal cities, Santee still has sizable portions of vacant land suitable for development. It is a growing suburban community that in recent years has added upscale housing, a major corporate business park and expansive shopping centers, along with a destination recreational complex called Sportsplex USA Santee.